Southport and Ormskirk hospitals put contingency plans in place as NHS workers go on strike

NHS workers at Southport and Ormskirk hospitals are going on strike today

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Hospitals in Southport and Ormskirk have put contingency plans into place as NHS workers go on strike over a pay dispute, the first in 32 years.

Thousands of health workers across the region were due to walk out from 7am until 11am today, in an ongoing row with the Government over pay.

There will be an official picket line at both the Ormskirk and Southport sites, and members of trade union Unison are being asked for the rest of the week (Tuesday to Thursday) to simply “take their breaks” to demonstrate the workload.

Angela Kelly, interim director of nursing and quality at Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust, urged patients who had appointments today to attend as usual.

Emergency care at the Clatterbridge Centre was expected to be unaffected.

North West Ambulance Service asked the public to consider whether their 999 call was a real emergency.

Director of operations Derek Cartwright said: “We want to make sure that we are able to attend to those people who really need us as quickly as possible.”

The public overwhelmingly supports health workers in their campaign for an above-inflation pay rise, according to a new poll.

A survey of more than 1,000 voters across the country showed that almost two-thirds thought a continued below-inflation 1% pay cap was unfair.

Three out of five of those questioned for the Unite union said they believed the industrial action being taken by NHS workers was justified.

Deputy director of operations at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Jan Ross, said: “We postponed a small number of non-urgent operations and some outpatient appointments, but our emergency department and other urgent services are expected to remain fully functional throughout.”

A spokesman for Fazakerley Hospital said: “The vast majority of clinics are expected to run and we have already advised all patients whose appointment or procedure has been affected.”

A spokeswoman for the Walton Centre said there were continuity plans in place for events such as strikes and “very little disruption” was expected.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: “This government’s treatment of NHS workers has angered them and this anger has now turned into action.

“Refusing to pay them even a paltry 1% shows what the government really thinks about its health workers.

“Inflation has continued to rise since 2011 and the value of NHS pay has fallen by around 12%.

“We know health workers don’t take strike action lightly or often.

“The last action over pay was 32 years ago. But we also know a demoralised and demotivated workforce isn’t good for patients.

“If we move into industrial action we will work with NHS employers to minimise the impact on patients.

“But it’s not too late for Jeremy Hunt to act to avoid this and we repeat our offer to the government to negotiate with us.”

Earlier this year, the government decided against the NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendations and instead give a 1% non-consolidated increase only to staff at the top of their incremental scale.

Because the award is non-consolidated it will not count towards pension entitlements or shift pay and will be wiped away at the end of March 2016, meaning wages will go back to their April 2013 level.

Nurses, occupational therapists, porters, paramedics, medical secretaries, cooks and healthcare assistants voted yes to industrial action in a Unison ballot in September where 68% backed strike action and 88% voted yes to take part in action short of strike.

Saturday, October 18, will mark the end of a week of action with the national demonstration in London.

John Flannery, Southport and Ormskirk branch secretary, said: “The branch have met with senior managers of the Trust to discuss emergency cover, which in essence is protecting the life and limb of the patients.

“Let’s make this week a success and show the government that NHS staff have had enough.”